Halfway through her two-hour show at the Sprint Center on Tuesday, Madonna acknowledged the raucous response she’d received from the crowd that nearly filled the place. And in so many words (including a couple that can’t be printed here), she apologized. To paraphrase: This is the first time I’ve been in Kansas City. What took me so long?

She turned 54 in August; in May she launched the MDNA Tour, the ninth of her career. And if the first time turns out to be the last time she performs in Kansas City, then she gave a crowd a once-in-a-lifetime treat and an everlasting hello.

October 30, 2012

Madonna performs Tuesday at the Sprint Center. Show time is scheduled for 8 p.m., though she has starting as late as 10:30 in some cities. Tickets are $90 to $355.Paul Oakenfold is the opener.

The day Madonna turned 19 — Aug. 16, 1977 — was the day Elvis Presley died, and there’s a certain symmetry to the coincidence.

She was still several years away from barnstorming the music world with her gummy dance hits and inimitable fashion and, subsequently, becoming one of the most provocative and popular pop-culture figures in the world. Sex, religion, music, politics: Nothing was spared her brazen iconoclasm or sacrilege.

October 29, 2012

Chad Smith (left) and Flea at the Sprint Center on Saturday night. Photos by Joe Ledford/The Star. For a slide show of the concert, go here.

They are recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees who will celebrate their 30th anniversary in 2013, and three of its four members are in their 50s (or about to be), but the Red Hot Chili Peppers aren’t exactly living off that past nor retiring gently into the twilight. And judging by the response the band got from a big crowd at the Sprint Center on Saturday night, they have no reason to do either.

Each week we ask readers to send their photos from recent shows to music@kcstar.com, and we post some here and print some in the Preview section of The Star.

Paul Sixta of Lee's Summit sent us the above photo from ZZ Top's performance at the Midland. "I think what bothered me the most besides having to stand all through the show was that they played around 75 minutes, far too short in my mind," he said. "At least they played several songs from their 'Tres Hombres' album, which helped make up for it.

October 27, 2012

He arrived inside the arena virtually, as a winged image flying from one side to the other. Then the lights went up and the real Justin Bieber arrived inside the Sprint Center, airborne and winged again. He descended to the stage, where his band and a troupe of dancers awaited him, and for the next 90 minutes put on a show that kept much of the sold-out arena on its feet, singing and screaming and screaming some more.

October 24, 2012

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals perform Thursday night at the Uptown Theater. Below: Read about other shows coming up over the next seven days.

Pete AndersonTonightKnuckleheadsPete Anderson's name may not ring a bell among even the most dedicated of music fans, but he enjoys an outsized reputation among industry insiders. Without Anderson's guidance, country artist Dwight Yoakam may never have become a star. In addition to an extended stint as Yoakam's guitarist and producer, Anderson has worked with artists ranging from Roy Orbison to the Meat Puppets. Ideally suited for Knuckleheads, Anderson's current sound combines jump blues with hardcore honky tonk. Kansas City-based country band Stony Hogg opens the show. Tickets to the 7 p.m. show are $10 in advance.

October 23, 2012

The former lead singer for Veda/Vedera has embarked on a solo career and is working on a solo album. In the meantime she has been asked to join the Texas band Flyleaf, whose lead singer, Lacey Sturm, recently left the band. Here's the note May posted to her fans on Facebook:

October 22, 2012

The band will not perform at Wednesday's Halloweenie Roast at the Midland theater because vocalist Claudio Sanchez is having problems with his voice. So the band has postponed the remainder of this tour --five dates in all. The entire show has been rescheduled to Nov. 29, a Thursday. All tickets from Wednesday's show will be honored.